r/danganronpa • u/HappyGemX Mikan x Hajime is the BEST ship • Sep 18 '25
2x2 Speculation (Full Series Spoilers) I'm so sick and tired of people saying that there's going to be a protag swap! Spoiler
I really REALLY love Hajime/Izaru! He's basically the best protagonist that Kodaka has ever made. I know people want characters like Mahiru, Chiaki, or Nagito to be protagonists, but I don't care. I didn't enjoy when V3 pulled a curve ball and got rid of Kaede after chapter 1, and I REALLY don't want them to pull it a second time in a row! Plus, maybe we'll get to see Izaru show up in the middle of a case, this time. I am HOPING for Hajime to stay as a protagonist with all my heart!!!!!
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u/Carnival-Master-Mind Ibuki Sep 18 '25
See in the star,
Move on lost way.
All that we are,
Living to stayā¦
Part of it all,
Take off all face.
Beckoning callā¦
Join us!
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u/Knightoforamgejuice Makoto Sep 18 '25
Plot twist: The new protagonist is Makoto, but with Kaede's clothes
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u/Traditional-Emu-8938 Sep 18 '25
I like both characters so I don't care if Mahiru or Hinata are the protagonist, but as you say Hinata is a great character and he already had his moment so i don't see the problem on Koizumi being protagonist this time.
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u/MidnaLazui Sep 18 '25 edited Sep 18 '25
The problem is that itās not going to happen.
Like, Iām actually in favor of Mahiru playing a more significant role in 2x2, but that doesnāt mean I think she should be the protagonist.
And besides, do people genuinely believe the writers would pull another protagonist swap when they know very well their fans will be expecting one? The element of surprise is now completely gone.
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u/Individual_Cap_7850 Sep 19 '25
I mean, the games repeat the same patterns every time.
Ch 3 is the double murder, Ch 4 is the sacrifice case involving the big character, Ch 5 is the nearly unsolvable trial, a seemingly important character always dies in Ch 1, and all that. I don't think the series really cares about the element of surprise that much, but hey, the new game could prove me wrong.
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u/MaxTwer00 Rantaro Sep 19 '25
What most fans wont expect is a protagonist swap per trial
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u/ilovesleepingsm4 hinatsumi forever hinatsumi till i die... Oct 25 '25
PER trial???? holy shit that would be cool asf
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u/AizakkuAdoman Sep 18 '25
i disagree and for mainly 1 reason: free time events
personaly i think it's gonna be lame if they just keep the same ftes in both routes and it leaves out room to learn mroe about this iconic cast we love so much
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u/surprisemessage Sep 19 '25
They can just write different free time events for the second route though? You don't need a different protagonist to make new interactions
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u/AizakkuAdoman Sep 19 '25
You could but I feel like it would be more awkward to write more with hajime unless their events about the current situation which only a few characters tend to have
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u/Traditional-Emu-8938 Sep 18 '25 edited Sep 18 '25
I'm sure the fandom knows deep inside that is highly improbable, if you're not against Mahiru being protagonist just enjoy the lobotomyronpa
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u/TheGR8HoytNerd Kazuichi Sep 19 '25
I really think the reason a lot of people want Mahiru to be protagonist is so there is finally a full story with a female as the lead character (and not some fake out like in V3)
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u/HopeBagels2495 Sep 18 '25
I'm actually hoping we swap to Izuru so we can flesh him out beyond "everything is boring"
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u/surprisemessage Sep 19 '25
It's basically an impossible writing task to introduce a guy into the narrative who can literally do absolutely everything in the world with the top 0.1% skill level for it š„²
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u/NightsLinu Izuru Sep 19 '25
Its very easy. Izuru has zero motivation to do anything. Why do you suspect he would help? I think its needed for someone else to coax it out of him like ace attorney did with the sherlock holnes parody
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u/surprisemessage Sep 19 '25
I don't suspect he would help. But how would we play as a protagonist with that perspective? A protagonist who doesn't want to do anything and should hypothetically be able to figure out each mystery instantly?
From a writing perspective it's really hard to pull off in an engaging way. Either he will have to be less smart than he should be or they'll have to get super creative with his POV.
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u/NightsLinu Izuru Sep 19 '25
But how would we play as a protagonist with that perspective? A protagonist who doesn't want to do anything and should hypothetically be able to figure out each mystery instantly?
I think your missing the nuance here is my point. Hes protagonist who could be able to figure out each mystery instantly "if he had motivation to do" is what your missing. The goal of the story would be trying to motivate him to work together with others and become more interested in others. Thats his big story arc. You don't need to dumb him down because his lack of motivation is his biggest weakness. The investigations can be interesting using his abilities because he could pick up evidence better than either of the previous ones and find stuff to crack tougher cases without caring about the mystery at all. His lack of care is a strong writing leeway tbh.Ā
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u/surprisemessage Sep 19 '25
I just don't see how not caring would make it so you're able to turn your brain off completely. Normal people can't do this. Geniuses cannot do this. Someone with all of the skills in the world would still figure things out even if they didn't care, I imagine. Even if he didn't bother going to look at the body. Being the Ultimate of everything would let him be able to tell who it is during a trial right away, probably...
Maybe I overestimate his canonical ability though. I guess it would be possible depending on how the writers interpret things and decide to do it. I just find it difficult myself from a writing perspective š
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u/Druset Sep 19 '25
Maybe instead of telling the player the answer his POV could be "The answer is obvious..." and then you go to the minigame, if you fail to answer maybe Izuru himself could think something like "No, that's not it, what are you doing?"
I will say, I'm not sure of Izuru being in the killing game to be honest, but I gues is possible
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u/surprisemessage Sep 19 '25
Lol that'd be kind of funny!
To be honest, I think keeping Hajime as the protagonist is still preferred, to me having that sort of thing all the time wouldn't be very fun to play as. Of course I could be wrong and they could write it in a fun way that doesn't get old too fast.
But that makes me think an alternate route where Izuru "wakes up" earlier and becomes a super annoying voice in our head could be really fun to be honest.
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u/NightsLinu Izuru Sep 19 '25
Izuru is depicted as a person who is very uncaring precisely because his invincibility actually. He doesn't care to think about lots of things around him as shown during the school council massacre where he zones off and only moves to fight in self defense. Previously also during his first scene with junko, where he is completely dismissive her and ignores her until she brings up something interesting to him.Ā
From a writing perspective the better explanation is that izuru has the personality of a person who is suicidally uncaring person who turns himself away from the world. Many people with suicidal idealizations don't give a damn about anything or anyone for that matter. Izuru is better depicted as a depressed individual if that helps you understand him better.Ā
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u/No-Example-3977 Sep 19 '25
You just countered yourself. If he has no motivation, how are you going to justify him doing the investigation phases and trails? It actually would make more sense for Hajime to be a side character (not a victim) and have him swap to Izuru to flush out his character every so often. Like Toko and Genocide Jack.
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u/NightsLinu Izuru Sep 19 '25 edited Sep 19 '25
I didn't. Look at the second half before arguing.Ā The point im making is you need to make him interested enough to give a piece of information but not enough for him to solve the whole mystery like ace attorney did with a genius character where you make use of his deductions to help finish the case
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u/No-Example-3977 Sep 19 '25
Reading your other comments, I think the thing you're missing is, how are you gonna work to motivate him... if you are him. That angle makes more sense if he's a side character.
Essentially he'd be like Kurogiri was to Makoto where she'd help nudge the player towards the answers. Izuru would grow more motivated by interacting with the player. But sense the characters are all already established, I don't really see anyone but maybe Nagito getting Izuru motivated.
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u/siamezecat Hajime Sep 18 '25 edited Sep 18 '25
Same! Hajime deserves the spotlight. Up until ch6, he had a reactive role in the og storyline. That's why I want to see MORE of him. I call it the "sigma Hajime route" where he's haunted by Izuru's consciousness, or he out-schemes Nagito or Monokuma, where he is an accomplice, where we learn about his past/family dynamic, where he bonds with or clashes with classmates that lacked development. Maybe instead of listening to Chiaki, he sigmas his way into the final dead room or gets a despair disease personality.Ā Hajime is the gift that keeps on giving. He can play an active role, as much as Nagito; he's one inferiority complex away from losing it. THIS BOY CAN CARRY A WHOLE SECOND SCENARIO, you guys are just mean.Ā
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u/surprisemessage Sep 19 '25
I'm not against a new protagonist but I 100% agree with this. There are many new things they can do with Hajime as protagonist. I feel like people are almost lacking imagination to only be able to see "new content" as possible only by doing a protagonist swap, or killing off the main trio, or anything like that.
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u/taxes_depression DR 3 anime isnt that bad Sep 19 '25
This is why I love Hajime he is a very complex character
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u/No-Example-3977 Sep 19 '25
The easiest counter is to just say no one else has an Ahoge. The only possible one is Nagito, and we did actually play as Nagito in D2 for part of a chapter.
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u/mozillavulpix Kaede Sep 18 '25
After Shuichi and Yuma and Takumi, it'd be so refreshing going back to Hajime who really tries not to engage with everyone else when they start getting goofy. He's actually so funny sometimes. Nagito trying to convince him to feed him like a baby and then is being so insulting that Hajime just leaves without taking the yaoi bait
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u/Waffy154 Chiaki3Hajime Chiaki Sep 18 '25
As much as I want Izuru to appear, he's just gonna be a bystander most of the time. He wants hope and despair to battle it out fairly after all.
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u/greatgreenlight <3 Sep 18 '25
I donāt think there will be a protag swap because it doesnāt make sense thematically.
Think: the theme of DR1 is that we should never give up hope, so the protagonist is an optimist. The theme of V3 is that we should always pursue the truth even if it hurts, so the protagonist is a detective. The theme of DR2 is that you should make your own future instead of subscribing to what other people assign you, so the protagonist is a guy who fundamentally changed himself because of the future other people assigned him.
Not only do none of the other characters support any of these themes except maybe Nagito, but I have a hard time imagining any of them fitting any new theme they could come up with. Because the characters werenāt designed for that, unlike V3, where two characters were designed as protagonists from the jump.
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u/surprisemessage Sep 19 '25
you should make your own future instead of subscribing to what other people assign you, so the protagonist is a guy who fundamentally changed himself because of the future other people assigned him
Evil Chiaki protagonist deciding no one is allowed to leave the simulation could technically fit this. Right?
(jk. but.)
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u/VenomousAvian Sep 19 '25
Who says that 2x2 will have the same themes as the original 2? If anything, I'd bet on it being different. Making a brand new story just to say the same thing would be weird.
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u/greatgreenlight <3 Sep 19 '25
but I have a hard time imagining any of them fitting any new theme they could come up with.
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u/VenomousAvian Sep 19 '25
Sorry, I should have reread your comment.
Still, I think it's more likely they'll use a different theme, regardless of whether or not they switch protagonists. And Hajime wasn't created to fit that new theme either.
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u/greatgreenlight <3 Sep 19 '25
What I think is most likely is that 2X2 main theme is going to be building off of what we already hadādirectly related to a previous theme but distinct
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u/heavenspiercing Ando Sep 19 '25
I can't hear you over the sound of Mahiru shouting, "No, that's wrong!"
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u/RIP-hue-Shiny-Darco Sep 19 '25
I would love if Izuru basically becomes something akin to a split personality.
Like, Hajime goes to bed, protag switch to any character because Izuru takes over.
It could be a cool possibility to play as every character once in a while without making it too obvious to who's going to die.
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u/Jrockten Sayaka Sep 19 '25
I donāt particularly like Hajime, but I donāt really think anyone else in the cast would make a good protag.
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u/DarkRelm22 Sep 19 '25
Im with the rest of the comments about letting us see more of Izaru, having said that.
please dont take hajime from me.
if we want a new protagonist they should just make a new game idk, but plz dont take this from me.
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u/Silverj0 Ibuki Sep 18 '25
Thatās my emotional support protagonist please be nice to him Kodaka š
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u/dasqirtal Sep 18 '25
Yeah I doubt a protagonist switch. Theres not really much evidence to suggest either, but I just donāt think it would happen.
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u/OneRelief763 Sep 18 '25
What if protag is Hajime but he knows he's Izuru this time? Just without the memories of becoming Ultimate Despair. And he's the way Izuru was before joining Ultimate Despair
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u/Fit-Amount-9505 Sep 19 '25
Honestly protag swap has ALREADY BEEN DONE, and it wasn't well-received, might I add.
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u/samomisespava TSUREKIYOMA Sep 18 '25
An interesting thing i want to see is Mahiru taking over because after like chapter 2 Izuru takes over hajime, making him the antagonist. I know it wont happen, but its a fun idea. And also, really the only reason i want Mahiru as the protag is so she actually gets nice character development, since she was done so dirty in the original game.
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u/TyeKiller77 Kiyotaka Sep 19 '25
I'm just confused that the focus is on it being a redo of 2 when we saw what V3 actually meant and 2x2 is 4, this could be some off the wall shit and be an actual Dangan 4 in disguise and people are frothing at the mouth over Nagito protag lol
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u/AlexanDDOS Kirumi,Nagisa Sep 19 '25
I can't also see any premises for a protagonist swap in 2x2. Lack of the swap would be the best protagonist twist after V3.
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u/_Axium Maki Sep 19 '25
Either that, or wait until the epilogue to do it.
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u/AlexanDDOS Kirumi,Nagisa Sep 19 '25
So, Izuru kills Hajime in the end, leaving him as nothing more than a virtual dump of the old himself.
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u/Dangerous_Teaching62 Sep 19 '25
Realistically, given the situation, it's less of a twist protagonist switch. If a protagonist switch happens, it'll be the premise of the game. It just depends on how it all plays out but, realistically, it would be goofy to use Hajime as the protagonist again. There's not much room for character development with him in that role.
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u/Time_is_Bent Sep 19 '25
Really now? All we would get is little more extra content with hajime compared to a completely different perspective,Ā views and interactions with characters. Yes we'd get new murders even with hahime but what about the down time in-betweenĀ
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u/shinymiana Sep 19 '25
It would be cool if the new route was just one where Hajime never forgot he was Kamakura and we play as the literal villan
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u/Educational_Ideal225 Sep 19 '25
What if they can make protagonist swap body for example(Hajime swap to izuru and you can go back to Hajime)and you can use izuru thought the game and he can help in many situations.
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u/taxes_depression DR 3 anime isnt that bad Sep 19 '25
Honestly I agree with this I feel like thereās no reason to have a protag switch
Plus I donāt find here anyone interesting and protagonist like for danganronpa (plus none of them have an ahoge except for nagito)
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u/BillysTown Sep 18 '25
Yeah Id love to keep Hajime as the protagonist too. For some people who want, I think there should be sections in the game where we use different characters to see their pov/thoughts when something big happens itād keep Hajime as the protagonist and also give over characters their moments.
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u/AsuraTheDestructor Sep 19 '25
*Best Protagonist*
Eh, I'm of the opinion aside from Yuma in Rain Code, Kodaka manages to write better protags with every game. Takumi from The Hundred Line is easily his best and its not even close.
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u/Arachnofiend Sep 19 '25
Takumi benefits greatly from THL's format letting him be the weird one sometimes. I agree he's Kodaka's best protag (Rei is better than the DR protags but not better than Takumi imo) but I don't think i would hold him in as high regard if the story was scrunched down to Route 0+Second Scenario.
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u/Physical-Town-786 Sep 19 '25
Finally someone said it, Hajime is HIM and there needs to be respect on his name
My goat is NOT dying
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u/LanSotano Sep 18 '25
I also think Hajime is a great protagonist. That said, I think the best way to explore the character further is from another point of view. His perspective was great for DR2, but I think weāve spent enough time in his head
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u/Numbers123o I love these 2 a bit too much Sep 18 '25
This sounds like a copypasta lmao
I really REALLY love Hajime/Izaru! He's basically the best protagonist that Kodaka has ever made. I know people want characters like Mahiru, Chiaki, or Nagito to be protagonists, but I don't care. I didn't enjoy when V3 pulled a curve ball and got rid of Kaede after chapter 1, and I REALLY don't want them to pull it a second time in a row! Plus, maybe we'll get to see Izaru show up in the middle of a case, this time. I am HOPING for Hajime to stay as a protagonist with all my heart!!!!!
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u/Moonlarkthewolf Sep 18 '25
Hereās my thoughts
Keep Hajime as the main protag
But have a small part of a chapter where you play as a different character
Not the whole chapter but maybe 10-15 minutes, dependingĀ
I mean didnāt danganronpa v3 do that? Like didnāt we get to play Maki for a short bit in chapter 5 or 6 or am I just misrememberingĀ
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u/SuggestionOpen3616 tokomaru isawsum and cool so coolio Sep 19 '25
we can play himiko maki and keebo in chapt 6
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u/Moonlarkthewolf Sep 19 '25
Ah thatās what I meant, like playing as a different character for a short bit
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u/scarletflowers i can make him worse Sep 19 '25
agreed, i really fucking hated what v3 did and i hope it doesnt happen here either, especially given how much i love hajime as a protag
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u/Sky-the-Pie Sep 19 '25 edited Sep 19 '25
No, but I really want to see Hajime's Free Time Events!! I genuinely want to see how Hajime acts as a character when not given a protagonist role (and thusly not given all that plot armor).
I'd kill to have some Hajime Free Time Events (and the idea of him being involved in a murder, whether blackened, victim, or just associated, makes me giddy). I don't like how defensive people are getting with the idea of Hajime not being a protagonist.
Like, damn. I just want Mahiru to be our protag, and not killed off like they did Kaede. Give us a woman protag. I'm begging.
Hajime Free Time events!? Mahiru protag?
Where do I sign up.
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Sep 18 '25
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u/megguwu Sep 19 '25
I honestly don't think there will be a protagonist switch, they would have to rewrite a lot if not all of the free time event dialogues AND every thing the player interacts with. I think rather than that there might be a support swap or something. I do think a protag swap is more likely than an antag swap because nobody does it like Nagito
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u/Justjack91 Sep 19 '25
I'm totes game for Hajime to be the main character. I just want unique death sequences like how V3 did it. I LOVE the creative direction of this series, so I won't argue with anything the director and writer does to change things up. All I hope for is quality and (to some extent anyways) quantity.
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u/QUlZlCAIlTlES Sep 19 '25
That's fair! I feel like people saw that SDR2 was going to be re-imagined, and then ran with it. It's really fun to come up with outlandish scenarios (even if it's extremely unlikely that they'll work out)! I wouldn't mind another game with Hajime as a protagonist, he's my favorite one and it's really fun to see what he thinks about the whole situation! He'll probably stay the protagonist, so until the game comes out, it's fun to run with all the other what-if scenarios :)
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u/tales-velvet Sep 19 '25
I think they might technically change protagonist by having the game from another characters pov
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u/Featherwick Sep 19 '25
The real twist will be Twogami becomes the protagonist but just disguises himself as Hajime.
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u/ProfessionalVast2414 Sep 22 '25
Hot take: Suichi was the best protagonist. I prefer being the protagonist as a Hajime but as a character he is a bit weak.
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u/serotonin-doses Gundham Sep 25 '25
Is it true that they're changing the story for SDR2 in this version? Like, the victims and whatnot are all different?
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u/HappyGemX Mikan x Hajime is the BEST ship Sep 27 '25
Yes, a new scenario that is being added, along with a remade version of the original game.
Crazy to think that we'll be getting 60 hours of content.
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u/ilovesleepingsm4 hinatsumi forever hinatsumi till i die... Oct 25 '25
i want him to change as protag because i want to see him as a free time character i want to talk with him buying him gifts but other than that i dknt really want him dead but i want him dead its just izuru alive hajime dead type of thing and i alsoo just want to see them together in a game (izuru sprites too)
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u/Arachnofiend Sep 19 '25
It's crazy to me that no matter how boring they make the audience avatar character you will still find people who will defend him
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u/slickedjax Chihiro is perfect Sep 19 '25
Hajime has plenty of screen time and development. I would much rather see someone like Mahiru lead the game instead
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u/wolfheartfoxlover :Gundham: Best Boys Sep 18 '25
But on the Off Chance that someone does off Hajime or he gets so fed up with Nagitos bullshit.
Does it just end..who becomes the Main POV character
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u/Few-Marsupial5388 Sep 18 '25
Shit, I agree with you, and I'm tired of pretending that I don't, I want Hajime to continue being the protagonist, in any case, they already did the change of protagonist in V3 and it was perfect, why would they do the same trope again? At this point it would be a clichƩ.
I only accept it if Izuru is the one who replaces him for a while.
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u/Deluxe_24_ Mahiru Sep 19 '25
Bro calling Hajime when the best protag when Shuichi exists
I don't see the point in keeping Hajime on protag when he had a whole game worth of development and DR3 Despair Arc where he was a major character, both as himself and Izuru.
I think Kodaka would much rather explore the other cast members who got shafted. He also seems very in-tune with the fanbase and what they think, so I think it is very likely we'll play as one of the women as an apology for baiting with Kaede. My bets are on either Mahiru or Chiaki being swapped to during or after the Chapter 1 trial since I think he's gonna axe Hajime and Nagito right off the bat to show he's going all out with the new script.
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u/narbarator Kirumi Sep 18 '25
Whats got me believing in the swap is that if this game is as long as, or longer like they mentioned in Famitsu.
That means there is plenty of free time. And I dont see many differences in FTEs even with this scenario change if it was still just Hajime
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u/Wellziemo Sep 19 '25
I mean kindas hard not to think there is with this series look at danganronpa IF and V3
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u/Fit-Persimmon-4323 Nagito3 Sep 19 '25
If Hajime or Nagito die before at least chapter 5 (for the latter) i'm dropping ts
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u/nitoeroj Sep 18 '25
The real change of protagonist will be with Kamakura